Camino Francis, Day 8

 Out the door at 7:18 AM. MA little bit later start than normal. I took full advantage of staying at the hotel. I was even able to take a nice shower this morning before heading out. last night was a nice quiet evening just stayed in my hotel room, and getting caught up on what’s been going on in the world. Kind of disconnected from world events. Today’s route takes me from Logrono to Najera, about the same distance as yesterday 17-18 miles. Looking at the topography it looks to be not as much elevation change today, just a lot of up and down over small hills, more or less walking through the wine vineyards.

 I walked out of my hotel and everything was wet so at some point time it had rained in the night, but the skies were clearing. It was 53° & partly cloudy. The hotel offered a breakfast, but I decided to forgo that and I would just wait until I came across something in one of the little villages ahead of me. Heading out of the city I hooked up with a guy from Chicago who is actually from Poland and we just chitchatted a bit and he told me that he was a Catholic Priest, Paul, on a 1 month religious journey. I thought to myself holy crap, I hope I didn’t say anything in our conversation that would offend him 🤣. Then he said it was going to take him 27 days to get to Santiago. I again thought to my self, well you better have god on your side if you think you are getting there in 27 days!!. More pilgrim humor. Soon after that, I met up with a young woman  21-year-old Spanish woman from Galicia. She is actually walking back home from St Jean, because she lives in, Tui, a town in the Provence of Galicia, and that’s where the Santiago Cathedral is in located, in the province of Galicia. So I chatted with her for a bit until we came across a guy selling some fruit, coffee and orange juice from a little stand he set up on the Camino. I bought a banana & a OJ.

 The town of Navarrete was just up ahead. Again a  beautiful little village set up on the side of a hill and the church, of course, being on the highest point looking down over the city. I walked in looking for a place to rest and grab a bite to eat. Again found a cafe right next to the church swarming w/ pilgrims. To my surprise the church was open. Yippee, went in, walked around and took some pictures and I had an OMG experience. The main sanctuary alter was probably the most exquisite alter I have ever seen. I wish I could send you a picture of it. I can’t even describe how beautiful it is. It literally knocks my socks off. After I picked my jaw off the floor I got my stamp and headed across the court yard to the cafe. I saw Bill from Scotland who I talked to a couple days ago. Dropped my pack, went in ordered my café con Leche, and prosciutto ham cheese sandwich. Sat outside in the courtyard eating my food and conversing with my fellow Pilgrims. Some where new that I had not spoken to in the past but most were people that I had seen prior. After a nice little rest and some food in my belly it was time to hit the road. I walked out of town talking to a woman named Holley from Walnut Grove CA. She told me her brother did the Camino yrs ago and that she and her sister were all set to do it this yr, but at the last moment her sister bailed on her. She said I am still doing it. I found out that she is 75 yrs old, I say good for you!! 

I leave Holley behind and up off into the wine vineyards. In Spain and other parts of Europe they have Storks, yes the same Storks that you heard about when you were a kid and how they would bring your little brother or sister by air🤣 What were they smoking when they came up with one!!!, but really they have them here and they’re all perched high on top of the church staples & bell towers & old factory smoke stacks. When I walk by I can hear them chirping away, sometimes you can even see there baby’s popping there heads up from the nest. 

Quick observation, I  have passed a lot of community parks on this walk. They all have nice shaded areas for picnics and other activities. But the one thing I never see are bathrooms. What goes, where are people supposed to go the bathroom if you go to the park.

Second quick observation, I pass all kinds of people from different nationalities and speaking in different languages. There is one common thread here on the Camino and it’s just two little words and everybody knows it and everybody can say it Buen Camino.

Today’s music selection I chose to listen to today is New Country Music. My homage to Stagecoach happing in my Indio. I’m able to listen to my Sirius Radio spp. So I tuned in & listened to The Highway, and as it just turned out I was walking next to a highway. 

There is another way to actually do the Camino. It’s still involves using your feet, but sit and pedal your way to Santiago. E-bikes are becoming more & more popular for a way of doing the Camino. I still think it’s cheating but who am I to say it’s wrong. The advantage I see is cutting down on the number of days it takes to walk it. If it takes 5 weeks to walk, I bet it only takes a couple weeks to bike, so there is that option. But those bikes do sneak up on you if you are not being aware.

I have reached the 13 miles walked today and it’s only noon. Miles are flying by it seems. I am no also see the traditional Camino mile markers. Basically what that means is it’s telling you how far you still have to go to get to Santiago, but it’s in kilometers so you just have to do the math to change it around, or ask Siri like I do. Just like the temperature is all read in Celsius. Here is an easy formula to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit. You take a temperature, I’ll use 14 degrees Celsius you double that which gives you 28 then you add 32 that will give you 60°F. Easy as that. How many of you are just mind blown away now🫨. 

I keep passing the little Asian woman, just about each day, around early mid morning. She must start before me because I pass here. What is so funny, this little lady is probably no more the 4ft5in and she carry’s a pack that is almost as big as she is. So when I come up from behind all I see are the two little legs sticking out below the back and that’s all I see. It looks the the pack has legs🤣, When I pass I smile and say Buen Camino, and she always responds the same!!!

It’s now 1pm, and I see something ahead that I never thought I would see. There is a man walking the Camino, okay wait for it, wait, wait, and he is pulling his Donkey🤣🤣🤣. That’s right, he is pulling his Donkey to Santiago. I stop to chat real briefly, his name is Lawrence, from France, and he reports that the Donkey is 14 yrs old and this is the Donkeys second walk to Santiago. So there you go, hitting the trail with Donkey in hand, I can’t make this stuff up!!!

I laugh my way into Najera around 1:30. This will be my destination for the night. I stop at a road side bar and order me a🍺 and a bowl of green olives. I can’t check into my Hostel until 2pm. Of course while sitting there Lawrence comes walking by w/ his donkey, getting laughs and stares from everyone. I pull out my not do trusty Google Maps to get me to my Hostel. It’s only 10 min walk, according to Maps. Of course it gets me lots and takes me down a dead end street… stupid Google Maps. I find an alt. route to take. I show up and the lady running the place promptly tells me that a lot of pilgrims get lost coming here because the Google Maps is stupid!!!!

I am in room 202, single room w/ my own bath again, woo hoo. Time for Camino chores, Shower, wash a few pieces of laundry in the sink and hang on the window seal to dry. Set out tomorrows close, look at my map to make sure about tomorrows route, Camino Life

Gear segment. Today we’re gonna talk about jackets, hats, and a few more miscellaneous items. Let’s start off with the jackets. I have my big puffy that I mainly brought for going over the Pyrenees because there was a word that could be snow. I’ve only worn it once and that was just back in Ronsavalles, so I’m on the fence as to what to do with it. I don’t know if I should just get rid of it because it’s really not worth shipping it back home. I can buy a new one for the price it would cost of ship home. so I don’t know, we’ll see what I am going to do with it. My trusted rain/wind jacket. I have already used that quite a bit. I have my lightweight fleece pullover jacket. I’ve used that mainly like in the mornings or sometimes in the evenings when I walk around town and then I have my rain poncho. Hats- I have my floppy bucket hat, that I have had for yrs. It just keeps on truckin!! and I have a Camino baseball cap that I wear around town. A beanie, & gloves once again for the cold, have not worn those either. I also brought a pair of long johns, but I got rid of those way back.

Now time for everybody’s favorite segment.

Stats —> Logrono to Najera, Stage 8

Miles- 17.1

Duration- 5hr54min

Elev.- 1, 217

Weather- 53- 68 degrees

Song- A Bar Song (Tipsy), Shaboozey. Heard that song on trail today, I was singing it out loud, good thing nobody was around!!!!

Saw a mileage maker 614 km to Santiago, that is 381miles to go. Tomorrow is another 17 miler Najera to Granon

Thanks again for reading. I am glad I can take you on a little bit of my journey. “Live Long and Prosper”